


The Ties That Bind

by ryekamasaki



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-24
Updated: 2017-03-24
Packaged: 2018-10-09 22:27:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10423161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryekamasaki/pseuds/ryekamasaki
Summary: A collection of ficlets for Seijoh4Week featuring our favorite Seijoh third years.





	1. Day 1 - Stormy Weather // Long Distance

Tooru shivered as he slid his key into the lock to his dorm room. The water cascading down his neck was freezing, and he knew that even the tiny space heater in the room wouldn’t help, not until he got a hot shower and warm, dry clothes. Preferably ones belonging to his roommate, since those were comfier than anything he owned himself. When he got inside, the room was empty and freezing, lonely and quiet. Tooru dropped his wet bag near the door and switched the heater on, scooped up his shower things and shivered his way back down the barren hallway.

The building is old, and so it’s at least another 5 minutes of shivering, this time naked and even wetter, before the water streaming from the shower head finally starts to warm him up. He stays there as long as possible, though it’s unfortunately not nearly long enough, thanks to how quickly hot water runs out with so much use. He hardly even dries off, just throws a towel around himself and scurries back into his room. It’s only slightly warmer than it was the first time he entered, but this time there’s someone else there.

Matsukawa turns toward him, a tiny almost smile on his face as he shakes his head and drapes one of his own towels over Tooru’s still dripping hair. He’s gentle as he dries it, hands steady and sure, and he drops a kiss against Tooru’s forehead before he turns to dig out a pair of sweatpants and a shirt that doesn’t belong to either of them. Tooru smiles in thanks and changes into them while Matsukawa settles on the bed, staring forlornly out of the rain splattered window.

Tooru sits next to him, back against the pillows, and laces their hands together. Matsukawa lets himself slide sideways, until his head is in Tooru’s lap. He pulls the blanket over them with his free hand, and then he’s still. Tooru runs his fingers through his hair and watches the flash of lightning light up the dark sky outside. He knows Matsukawa is watching too, wondering what the other two are doing in this kind of weather, if they’re inside and warm, or if they got stuck in the pouring rain like he and Tooru just did.

“I miss them.” Tooru’s not surprised at how rough and quiet his own voice is, not in this situation. Matsukawa just hums in agreement and squeezes Tooru’s hand.

Matsukawa’s phone makes a noise then, and he digs it out of the pocket of his hoodie to find a new message. He holds it up so Tooru can see too. It’s from Iwaizumi, a picture of he and Hanamaki in almost the same position they are, curled together with the watery light of the storm illuminating their faces. The message underneath is simple and to the point. _We miss you too._ Sometimes Tooru forgets how well they all know each other, even being as far away as they are. Wonders sometimes if this bond they all have is supposed to reach and encompass quite so much.

But they do know each other that well, the four of them, and their bond does reach that far, whether it’s supposed to or not. At least Tooru can find happiness that at least they aren’t each completely on their own. He has Matsukawa, and Iwaizumi and Hanamaki are together miles away, and if they can’t all be together, then at least they each have one of them in easy reach. One day they’ll all be together, and Tooru is already sure that it’ll be the second happiest day of his life.


	2. Day 2 - note passing // detention

****

Hajime sighed and dropped his head against the table. Out of high school and he was still getting in trouble for his friends. Why Hanamaki had thought it was a good idea to be passing notes, like some sort of elementary student with a crush, in their strictest professor’s class was beyond him. He could practically hear Oikawa’s falsely sympathetic coo, a teasing faked thing that makes Hajime want to smack him around a little. Hanamaki groaned and tilted his phone, hidden under the tabletop, in Hajime’s direction.

There’s a new picture message, from exactly the person Hajime had been thinking of, a side profile of Matsukawa, clearly in class and at the very least pretending to be concentrating. Another one pops up as they watch, this one of Oikawa, peace sign held aloft, grinning at the camera. There’s a message under this one, too. _You’re supposed to pay attention in class, you know._ Hajime snorts and the professor glares over at them, obviously annoyed, though he can’t really say anything when he’s the one keeping them all holed up in this room.

Hajime feels a rush of affection and warmth, and he can’t quite tell who it’s from, but that doesn’t make the feeling any less true or strong. Hanamaki turns the phone back to himself, taps a message out before sliding his phone back into his pocket and lacing his fingers with Hajime’s, resting both their hands on Hajime’s thigh. The note Hanamaki had flung across the table, the one that had gotten them caught and into this situation, sat on the professor’s desk.

They’d get it back when they left, and the professor hadn’t bothered to open it, likely already aware of the contents since this wasn’t the first time that they’d been caught. Hajime knew what would be in it too, even without reading it. There would be a dumb little doodle, probably of the four of them, and a declaration of Hanamaki’s love for them all. Sometimes there’d be a haiku, usually something about how much he missed Matsukawa and Oikawa, all those miles away from them.

He knew today would be a haiku day, can feel the melancholy like a tangible thing, even when Hanamaki tried to cover it with smiles and jibes and laughter. He also knew it wasn’t just them. Hajime didn’t really know how he knew, and he couldn’t quite tell which feelings were his and which weren’t, which he supposes is to be expected when they all feel generally the same things. There’s affection and love, an ever strong feeling of missing something, missing some _one_ that only increases as the gap of days since they’ve seen each other grows bigger.

Hanamaki taps his fingers in an erratic manner on the table, and Hajime is starting to recognize the tune when their professor sighs and dismisses them, grumbling about them needing to pay attention in class. Hajime uses his free hand to scoop up the note on their way past the desk, sliding it into his hoodie pocket. He leads Hanamaki back to their dorm by their still clasped hands, and pulls Hanamaki down on the bed when they get there, ignoring their homework entirely to press his nose to Hanamaki’s shoulder, the hoodie stolen from Matsukawa soft against his skin.

Soon, he knows, soon they’ll all be together again, in each other’s space and not just each other’s heads and hearts.


	3. Day 3: aquarium date // child/parent au

Issei can feel the joy radiating from Oikawa, practically a tangible thing, a stark contrast of the downhearted fog that Oikawa’s been in lately, that they’ve all been in. The aquarium is one of Oikawa’s favorite places, something about how the life in the ocean deep is the closest comparable thing to aliens, and isn’t it amazing what kind of creatures live where even humans can’t reach. Issei is mostly glad that this date idea seems to have been a good choice. He wasn’t even sure that Oikawa was going to want to come, too caught up in working himself to the ground in his classes and missing Hanamaki and Iwaizumi.

They walked slowly from the station to the aquarium, enjoying the clear, warm weather. Oikawa wasn’t very talkative, but that was okay. Issei was used to sharing silence with Oikawa, something he was sure that most people didn’t have any experience with. They paused outside a cafe, and Issei saw the tiny longing look in Oikawa’s eyes at the pastries in the window display, fluffy fat cream puffs that they both knew Hanamaki would kill for. Issei dragged him in, bought him a milkbread as a treat, and the bashful smile on Oikawa’s face made Issei’s heart flutter in his chest.

The rest of the walk was uneventful but pleasant, and they arrived at the aquarium without any trouble. Issei paid for their tickets, and he knew that the look that Oikawa gave him meant that their next date would be paid for by Oikawa, and he wouldn’t accept any complaining about it. He didn’t say anything now, though, and Issei knew that he was pleased to be treated. The aquarium wasn’t very busy, a few families and other couples wandering around, but plenty of room for everyone to walk at their own pace without bothering anyone else.

It was halfway through when they came across a problem. There was a little girl standing in the middle of the large room, crying quietly and looking around in confusion. Issei glanced around as well, but there was only two other people in the room, and neither of them were paying any attention to anything around them. Issei turned back to face the little girl, his mouth open to suggest to Oikawa that maybe they should do something, but Oikawa wasn’t at his side.

In fact, as Issei finished turning, Oikawa was already doing something, knelt down easily in front of the girl, handing her a tissue. Issei couldn’t hear what he was saying, but it seemed to calm her enough to stop the tears, and then she nodded before Oikawa scooped her up in his arms to hold her on his hip. Issei watched as Oikawa practically bounced over to the nearest tank, throwing a quick look over his shoulder at Issei before pointing out the different fish to the girl.

Issei knew that Oikawa wanted him to find someone to report the lost girl to, but the image of Oikawa giggling with her distracted him. For a moment all Issei could see was an older Oikawa, laughing with a child, _their_ child, surrounded by Iwaizumi and Hanamaki, one big happy family. He could just imagine how they would be, the four of them and a child or two. Oikawa would be the best father, Issei already knows from how he is with Takeru, and even with this random little girl.

He wondered, as he walked off to find someone who worked in the aquarium, if the others had thought about them having children together. They knew that they were inseparable, that they would be together forever, no matter the distance between them, but he didn’t really ever think about actually adding to their family. It was a tempting thought for the future, sometime when they were together again, and a little older, a little more prepared to deal with the world.

The main desk had a frantic couple standing there, and Issei already knew that the two ladies were the girl’s mothers, could tell right away. They calmed when he told them she was safe, and then he led them back to the display room he’d left her and Oikawa in. They were still there, but this time they were alone, and bouncing around the room in a semblance of a dance, singing a clearly made up song about jellyfish. Issei and the women paused in the doorway, all soft smiles and fond looks, and Issei slid his phone out of his pocket to take a quick video before Oikawa realized they were there.

He sent it off to Hanamaki, and then they all stepped forward to a loud squeal from the little girl, having seen her mothers from over Oikawa’s shoulder. Oikawa twirled them around with a grand flourish, face flushed, and the girl laughed loudly when Oikawa bent down to put her on the ground. She smacked a kiss to his cheek before running to her mothers, and the look left on Oikawa’s face made Issei hope that Hanamaki and Iwaizumi had the same feelings about children.

The rest of their date went well, even if Issei couldn’t forget about how lively Oikawa had looked with the girl, couldn’t stop imagining him with a child of their own. He couldn’t keep himself from thinking about Iwaizumi with a child, or Hanamaki, and how different they all would be, but still as loving and happy in their own little unconventional family. Oikawa held his hand tightly the rest of the night, and Issei wondered if maybe the same things were on his mind, too.

A rush of warmth and affection flooded his chest, and as he raised his free hand to hover over his heart he noticed Oikawa do the same. It was awfully wonderful to have this connection, this thing that encompassed the four of them, and Issei wondered if it would be even stronger when they were all together again. He couldn’t wait to find out.


	4. Day 4: anniversary // hp au

Takahiro is just about to bite into a particularly delectable pastry when a heavy weight slumps on his shoulders from over the back of the plush couch. The fire in front of him crackles ominously, and then a long fingered hand reaches out and steals the snack away, tucks it quickly into the mouth of a rogue Slytherin before said Slytherin flitters away up the stairs of the Hufflepuff boys’ dormitory. Matsukawa presses his cheek to Takahiro’s, waves the wand in his hand in a vaguely threatening manner towards the stairs.

“You want me to hex him for you?”

He sighs and pulls away from Matsukawa’s heavy embrace, pushing himself up from the couch to follow Oikawa up the stairs, where he’s likely annoying Iwaizumi by messing up his bed. Again. Matsukawa follows him, flicking his wand lazily to lift the back of Takahiro’s robes as he walks, letting little breezes up around his legs, somewhat of a test to see how long Takahiro will ignore it before he turns and tries to hex him. The hexing doesn’t usually work, Matsukawa is far too skilled at dodging, but sometimes Oikawa gets caught in the crossfire and that’s always entertaining.

Takahiro does get a elbow into Matsukawa’s side when they get to the top of the stairs, though, which is as good as anything, in his opinion. Surprisingly, Oikawa isn’t draped all over Iwaizumi’s previously perfectly made bed, but instead in the midst of a tight hug with him. At least he is until he opens his mouth to say something that Takahiro predicts is going to be stupid.

He’s right, of course. “Is that a wand in your pocket or-”

And then Iwaizumi is pushing Oikawa onto the bed himself, clearly amused and trying not to show it by covering it with a scowl. “Finish that sentence and I will punch you in the nose.”

Matsukawa snorts next to him, and then he’s pulling Iwaizumi down onto the bed with a lazy thump, and Takahiro shrugs and flops across them all, mindful of his elbows. Oikawa giggles from beneath them, happy and pleased even though he’s got three teenage boys worth of muscle on top of him. With the warmth in the room and the content feeling surrounding them, they all slowly drift off to sleep, and as he listens to the others’ quiet breathing, Takahiro thinks that he wouldn’t mind staying like this forever.

He wakes to the quiet sound of Iwaizumi humming under his ear, Takahiro’s head pillowed on his chest, one of Iwaizumi’s hands on the back of his neck. Takahiro looks up at Iwaizumi sleepily, and then his phone rings on the nightstand and Iwaizumi reaches over to pick it up. They both already know who it is, intuition and a custom ring tone, and they both answer with muted greetings, putting it on speaker automatically.

The voices that respond sound just as tired and run down as Takahiro feels, and that’s not really a surprise at all. He knows what day it is, knows that they all know what day it is, though it’s only a small comfort that they’re all feeling together, even separated as they are.

Iwaizumi’s voice is soft when he speaks, just loud enough to be heard through the phone. “Again?”

Takahiro nods. “Yeah.” He faces the phone. “Been reading Harry Potter again, Tooru?”

Matsukawa chimes in from too many miles away. “What what it this time?”

He hums a little, trying to drag back the already fading memories of a dream about a world so different and yet so similar to their own. It doesn’t take long to tell them what it had been about, and Iwaizumi squeezes his neck comfortingly as he trails off.

It’s Oikawa’s soft voice coming through the speaker this time, a melodious thing that Takahiro hasn’t heard properly for too long. “It’s only one more year. We’ve been through three since we graduated, after all.”

Matsukawa hums. “It was hard that day, but at least we still managed to stick together.”

They all go nearly silent, likely all thinking of the day they had graduated from high school, the day that they had decided would be the day to share what colleges they were all off to after that. They were lucky that they had managed to pair off without any planning, and Takahiro wonders how much of that was coincidence, and how much of it definitely wasn’t. There was really no way to tell, though, and while they were all prepared to be separated entirely, they were pleasantly surprised to find that they’d managed to only split themselves between two schools.

Only one more year, it was true. They’d survived three up till now, and they’d survive the last, and then they’d be together again, closer than ever before. Takahiro smiled as he rested his head on Iwaizumi’s chest and listened to Oikawa rambling about Takahiro’s infrequent stress dreams, how different this one was to the one he’d had the night before their graduation. He wouldn’t mind being a wizard, really, as long as they were still together, and even his dreams told that.

Just one more year. It echoed in the air between them, on this sort of anniversary, the reality that they only had one more year to go, and then they could use this day to celebrate getting through such a trial, together.


	5. Day 5: moving in together // soulmate au

Tooru grinned as he dropped yet another box on the bedroom floor, this one marked with a scrawled ‘Mattsun’s sex toys’ across all four sides. He couldn’t really be sure if it was accurately marked or not, but either way he figured that it didn’t belong in any of the common rooms of their new apartment. He had to sit for a moment on the edge of the bed, a little overwhelmed by the pure unadulterated joy and excitement that he could feel in every atom of his being. It was different, the four of them being this close to each other, and for so long, and Tooru was sure that none of them would be used to it for a while.

There’s also a feeling of annoyance, and Tooru can hear Iwaizumi muttering in his head as if he’s standing right beside him, the words clear and familiar, if not in quite this way. Hanamaki wanders into the bedroom then, a much smaller box in his hands, labeled with Iwaizumi’s name and a bunch of stark black scribbles, like someone tried desperately to cross out whatever was written. That box ends up on top of the other, and Hanamaki plops on the floor in between Tooru’s legs. He leans his head against Tooru’s thigh, and Tooru lays his arm across Hanamaki’s chest.

The colorful fish inked into their skin move, swimming until they get to where Tooru and Hanamaki’s bodies are together, like they’re drawn to the places where they touch. The colors pulse in waves and patterns, never the same color for long, and Tooru will never get tired of seeing it. Hanamaki presses a kiss against Tooru’s knee and pushes himself off the floor, holding a hand out for Tooru when he’s upright. Together they go back into the nearly bare living room, the only contents so far a ratty couch left by the last tenants and a few boxes.

Matsukawa walks by them on the way to the kitchen, and Tooru runs his fingers across the naked expanse of his back as he passes, leaving a trail of wispy colors as he goes, fish swimming quickly to the points of contact and trying to nip at Tooru’s fingertips, though he doesn’t feel it. Tooru’s brain lights up with stream of thoughts from an unusually flustered Matsukawa, pleased and a little embarrassed, though you wouldn’t really be able to tell by looking at him. Iwaizumi pipes up, scolding them all about getting back to work, and Tooru sees the other two make a face, knows he’s making a similar one, something a little startled and a lot pleased.

They’d been taught in school that soulmate bonds could manifest in different ways, that they could have one thing or many, that no one really had the same things as anyone else. There was a lot they didn’t know about soulmates, too, which was part of the reason that their bond was so unpredictable. Usual circumstances would say that still sharing feelings with so many miles between them would be impossible, and yet they did. Now that they were together again, whole, the sharing of feelings was stronger than ever before, even their time in high school, and new things were popping up everyday.

The fish, for example, had appeared the first night they’d all spent crammed together in Matsukawa’s childhood bedroom while they prepared to move into their new apartment. The sharing of thoughts, in complete sentences and with as much feeling as anything showed up halfway into the day after that, with Iwaizumi wondered if any of them had actually labeled anything properly. Hanamaki had almost dropped his glass of water at the shock. Tooru favorite thing so far though, was being able to talk to them without actually opening his mouth, and he did so as much as he could.

The best thing, though, was the lack of any sadness, the disappearance of the melancholy that they’d all grown used to over the years they’d been apart. There was still the happy feelings, the affection and love, and that was stronger than it even had been, filling up the spaces in their hearts that had been taken up by being separated, by being lonely and longing for each other. It was intense, and Tooru wouldn’t trade it for anything in the entire world.

They finished bringing in all the boxes, leaving them scattering throughout the apartment, content to flop together on the one big bed and sleep away the first night of the rest of their lives, finally together again.


	6. Day 6: different kisses shared among them // youtuber au

Takahiro had no idea how he’d gotten into the habit to recording most everything that they did. There was a point when they were still in college when he’d made a video of a date that he and Iwaizumi had gone on, in an attempt to make it more like Oikawa and Matsukawa went with them, and then he’d had trouble putting it anywhere they could see. It wound up on Youtube, and somehow had stayed on public settings, and there had been a few comments about how good of a videographer Takahiro was, and maybe he should record more.

It wasn’t that big of a deal, though Iwaizumi was a little embarrassed at having the sweet hello kiss they shared out for everyone to see, and Takahiro had fun, so he figured it was worth a shot. Now he wanders around, forever recording, never sticking to one particular topic. His most popular video is a very vehement discussion between Iwaizumi and Oikawa about Godzilla versus aliens, and his subscribers are forever asking for a continuation, since that one had ended in a vicious tickle fight on their living room floor.

Now, though, Takahiro is curled up in their great big bed, plans for a makeup tutorial video with Matsukawa later in the day distant in the barely dawn light filtering through the bedroom window. Iwaizumi’s chest rumbles under his ear, and Oikawa is pressed to his back, both of them warm and comfortable. At least, until they start to move. Takahiro groans, knowing that it’s about the time for them both to get up for their morning run. Oikawa presses a kiss to the back of his neck and he settles a little, content in the feeling of Oikawa’s lips on his skin.

There’s a whisper in his mind, a quiet little reassuring murmur of Iwaizumi’s thoughts in his head, and the answering hum of Oikawa, still shaking off the edges of sleep and not yet willing to put in the effort of actually talking. Eventually, though, Oikawa slides out from between Takahiro and Matsukawa and heads off to the bathroom. Iwaizumi laughs at the grumble that Takahiro lets out and shifts so that their faces are level, and then he grins dumbly before peppering Takahiro’s face with kisses.

Oikawa’s laughter floats through the room, and then Iwaizumi is out of bed, doing the same thing to Oikawa until they’re both in a laughing heap on the floor, Oikawa half into his running shorts. The bed shakes under Takahiro from Matsukawa’s laughter, and then he wraps Takahiro up in a giant hug. Takahiro twists in his grasp until they’re facing each other, and then they’re kissing too, much slower and with far less laughter, and the rest of the room seems to fade away, just the sound of Takahiro’s heartbeat in his ears and head.

It turns out that the quiet is because both Oikawa and Iwaizumi have stopped play wrestling to watch them, and as Takahiro pulls back to get a breath, they both flop back onto the bed to get more kisses of their own. The run gets put off, the four of them more than content to spend an hour or two trading kisses back and forth in the comfort of bed than to separate and go about their days. The run can wait, and so can the video, but this, this cloud of love and affection, the spread of pleased, fond kisses, this can’t. It doesn’t have to, not anymore, and that makes Takahiro the happiest he’s ever been.


	7. Day 7: comfort // childhood

If there was one thing in the entire world that Hajime knew he could count on, it was the tiny part of his heart that was already dedicated to his soulmate, an ever changing mass of feelings that was always there for him. It was weird, because a lot of times the mix of feelings didn’t really make sense, but 7 year old Hajime figured that people were confusing, and feelings even more so. He knew, though, the moment he’d met his soulmate, a whiny boy about his age that moved in to a house down the street, by the almost violent tug in his heart upon their first meeting.

He also knew the other boy had felt it as well, by the widening of his eyes, something scared and excited and hopeful wiggling in his chest, bright and almost loud enough to drown out the other feelings, ones that were more frightened and a little sad and something else that Hajime couldn’t quite place. Sometimes he was confused over why some feelings were bigger and more vibrant, and he asked his mothers once, but all they had to tell him was that soulmates were very tricky things, and no one really knew the specifics of how they worked or why.

Oikawa was quite something for Hajime to get used to in the first place, so he really didn’t waste much time trying to figure out soulmate things that would probably work themselves out on their own time. Instead he paid attention to Oikawa, who was very eager for them to become at least the best of friends. It didn’t seem like too much of a big deal, really, because they got along well, even with their differences in opinion on various things. Oikawa hated bugs, for one thing, and disliked getting dirty like Hajime did when he went out to explore. Hajime couldn’t understand why Oikawa preferred aliens over Godzilla, and he frequently wanted to sit inside and watch documentaries rather than go outside.

It was odd for Hajime, as a child, but as he got older he realized that Oikawa was more delicate than he had realized. He got sick a lot, not really anything to keep him home or out of school, but enough that he felt bad more often than not, and no one could figure out why. Hajime did the only thing he could think of at the time, which was to hardly ever leave Oikawa’s side. It seemed that Oikawa was a little better, a little happier with Hajime close by, and so Hajime stayed, usually with Oikawa clinging to him or using him as a pillow. Hajime didn’t always feel the best himself, but he didn’t want to cause more of a fuss than they already had to deal with, and he kept it to himself, settled for the frequent cuddles and touches to ease the oddness.

When they got to high school, though, that was when things started to change. That was when they met Hanamaki and Matsukawa, and that was when the unexplainable feeling in Hajime’s heart gained itself a name and meaning. It was a sort of brokenness, he realized the first time they met, when he felt that violent tug again, something that shouldn’t - couldn’t - be. It suddenly felt like Oikawa was no longer enough, no longer just right for Hajime like he’d always thought he was. And the worst part was how it wasn’t a new feeling, it was just that now he had something to connect it to, something to call it. And the knowledge hurt, in a way he couldn’t explain.

The other thing was how Oikawa changed with them. He seemed better, less delicate and out of sorts, more lively and healthy. They didn’t actually spend a lot of time all together, but the times that they did were loud and exciting, almost the opposite of how Oikawa was with Hajime alone. They never talked about it, and Hajime almost hoped they never did, because he wasn’t sure if he could bear to hear that Oikawa wanted to be with them and didn’t need Hajime anymore. He knew that Oikawa had felt the tug again too, had seen the nearly imperceptible widening of his eyes, so similar and yet so different from the first time Hajime had seen it.

And then they have to talk about it, sudden and unavoidable. Hajime leaves on a long weekend to visit family, and when he arrives home Oikawa is sick again, worse than he’s been in years. He’d stayed home the weekend alone, free from school and his family since they went away, leaving capable teenage Oikawa to tend to himself. But Hajime had arrived home to Oikawa sicker than ever in his bed, too tired and sore to even answer the door, and Hajime just knew there was something very wrong. He dragged his laptop out of his bag and settled on Oikawa’s bed, letting Oikawa settle himself comfortably around him.

The rest of the day he spent researching and listening to Oikawa breathe, which luckily got easier the longer they were together. It only solidified Hajime’s hunch, and he knew that when Oikawa woke up again they would have to discuss what he’d found, whether it ended badly or not. He would do whatever made Oikawa healthy again, even if it meant he had to be around to watch Oikawa get healthier with someone else.

Hajime brought it up later that night, when Oikawa was awake and eating and at least twice as healthy as he’d been when Hajime had arrived. He explained his hunch, and the research he’d done, and the conclusion he’d come to. Oikawa agreed easily with everything, except any hint of Hajime not being Oikawa’s proper soulmate, of Hajime not being the person that Oikawa needed at his side.

They woke tangled together the next morning, and though Oikawa still seemed better, he wasn’t quite all there. They met up in the nearby park with Matsukawa and Hanamaki, and though Hanamaki looked as cheerful as ever, Matsukawa was down, looking even more tired and lazy than usual. It only cemented Hajime’s theory, only held up to the research that he’d done the night before. His heart fluttered with emotions, fear and fondness and a dozen other things he didn’t have names for.

In the end, it was surprisingly easy. They’d all had an inkling that they were all soulmates, had all felt each other’s feelings and the telltale tug, had all been scared that it meant they weren’t enough for the one person they knew was supposed to be theirs. They had watched as Matsukawa and Oikawa both had brightened and seemed to get better right before their eyes, and they decided the best thing to do would be to see where it went, to see if maybe they all were supposed to be together in the long run.

The day that they all confirmed their bonds, though, had agreed that they were all soulmates, that they all belonged together for sure, that was the day that Oikawa and Matsukawa had stopped being sick all the time, had seemingly been cured of what doctors had told them both was an unknown terminal disease. The sicknesses disappeared, until the only times they were unhealthy was the rare time that one or the other caught a particularly vicious cold.

This unfortunately was one of those times when the both of them feel victim, and the four of them were sprawled across the bed in a giant heap. Oikawa still liked to curl himself around someone, to fall asleep curled up against them, thought this time Hanamaki had the dubious honor of being Oikawa’s chosen partner. Matsukawa preferred to have his head in someone’s lap, to be petted and murmured at, comforted into sleep.

Some things had to change, and sometimes they didn’t, and Hajime was glad for both. He had Matsukawa in his lap, and Hanamaki against his side, Oikawa curled around them both somehow, and Hajime wouldn’t be happy any other way. The fish tattoos swam quickly back and forth, all of them determined to visit each patch of them that touched, and Hanamaki watched them lazily. It was nice, too, to be able to talk without making sound, to send comforting feelings to each other, to hum distant lullabies in each others heads and hearts.

Hajime wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world, and he knew the others wouldn’t either.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to come yell at me on [tumblr](http://ryekamasaki.tumblr.com/).


End file.
